Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 163

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 163. Prove the Truth
Romandro glanced at the letter with a subtle smile, clicking his tongue. Using the Count’s name, no less. How foolish of me to worry he’d refuse, he thought. Given Ian’s pragmatic nature, there was no way he’d turn down such an offer. Ian finished the letter and pressed his seal firmly into place.
“Romandro, I’m entrusting this to you.”
“Of course. Viviana’s messenger is quite efficient—truly useful.”
“And there’s one more thing I’d like to propose.”
“What is it?”
Ian laughed, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers. He’d ascended to the position of Minister and enjoyed everything that came with it, yet something crucial remained absent. To execute his duties flawlessly, he needed an aide to assist him.
“Would you consider transferring from the Administrative Ministry to the Magic Ministry?”
“The Magic Ministry? Me?”
“Yes. You understand the inner workings of the imperial palace and have served in public office for so long that your administrative capabilities are exceptional. I’ve witnessed this firsthand since my time in the borderlands.”
“Oh my. If you put it that way… haha! Ahaha!”
“Ah, he’s pleased. He’s weak to flattery.”
Berik chuckled, and Romandro started to retort but stopped himself. He didn’t want to disrupt the flow of conversation.
He cleared his throat and straightened his tie carefully. For the hottest topic in the imperial palace right now to say such things—he didn’t know where to put himself.
“First, I’m truly grateful that you’d praise my abilities.”
“It’s not praise—it’s my honest assessment.”
“But I’m not a mage.”
“That doesn’t matter. A steward exists purely for convenience, and you would be helpful to me even without being a mage.”
Romandro scratched his head, clearly troubled. Ian smiled slightly at this and offered him a choice.
“Of course, your opinion is important. Dispatched advisors travel frequently—isn’t that difficult? Soon you’ll have a child, and you can’t be wandering about constantly.”
“That’s true.”
“The salary would be considerably higher.”
“Well… hmm.”
“And being at my side would be safer.”
At this unexpected remark, Romandro’s eyes widened. What did he mean by that? Earlier he’d mentioned something about thin ice breaking and such, but was that what he meant?
“Think it over carefully and make your decision. The terms and conditions will be set far better than before.”
The Administrative Ministry operated under the Emperor’s authority. Yet beneath that, the influence of the princes seeped in gradually. In Prince Gail’s case, it was Mollin and Chielronia. Prince Marib surely had hidden forces as well. There was no need to look far—hadn’t Romandro himself been dispatched to the borderlands under Marib’s orders?
‘If the princes clash, division will emerge within the Administrative Ministry. And if the Emperor takes sides to preserve his position, it will become uncontrollable.’
Now that he understood Marib’s deep involvement in the Emperor’s health, this assumption wasn’t unreasonable at all. Ian simply nodded, looking down at the bewildered Romandro. As Romandro studied his expression carefully, something suddenly clicked, and he exclaimed:
“I’ll do it!”
“Yes?”
“Suddenly?”
Berik, who had been listening quietly, also seemed startled. He stopped chewing his gum and turned to Romandro.
“Hena mentioned it. You told your servants to quit their jobs at the estate before heading to the desert.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Those who heard your words all survived, and those who didn’t all died, or so I heard. Now I see it clearly. Your instincts are spot on. It feels like not listening to you means death.”
The intuition of someone who’d lived his entire life in the storm of factional strife. He’d grasped the situation perfectly despite Ian merely hinting at it obliquely. Without even understanding what the chaos truly was.
“That’s an overstatement.”
“What overstatement is there about one’s life? I have no intention of dying before our child reaches adulthood.”
Having someone to be responsible for made him all the more cautious about preserving himself. Either way, Ian nodded approvingly.
“If you wish to transfer, submit a request and I’ll have it processed immediately. Going forward, I’d appreciate your diligent work on these matters. As you can see, there’s simply too much here.”
At my words, Romandro surveyed the office. Apart from the chair I occupied and the sofa where Berik lay, documents were piled so densely there was barely room to step. The Magic Operations Department assisted, but since they handled external duties, their work lacked the necessary precision.
Knock, knock.
“Enter.”
“Count Ian. A servant from Prince Marib has arrived.”
“Ah, Prince Marib. Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”
When the conference ended, he’d instructed me to come to his palace. I gazed upward into empty space with an air of annoyance. Rather than trust Gail’s curse, it would benefit me more to doubt the credibility of the truth serum. From this, I could infer that he would soon suspect me and press for answers.
“Also, we need to reschedule the Magic Department’s training. The commanders are asking what kind of training they should conduct.”
I pondered briefly while changing my upper garment. Those capable of practical combat magic like offensive spells were limited to the Magic Operations Department. Then what about the others…?
“Is there a mage who can open portals?”
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like it. It’s too advanced.”
“What exactly is a portal?”
“It connects one space to another.”
“Isn’t defying the laws of nature considered forbidden magic?”
At Romandro’s question, I and the Magic Department staff exchanged glances. A silence fell as we considered how best to explain.
“Inverting and manipulating spacetime does indeed contradict the natural order. So it is correct that it’s forbidden magic. However, a portal is essentially a ‘road.'”
“A road?”
“It opens a path by connecting one space to another. However, the greater the distance, the exponentially more mana required to maintain it. And if the portal breaks midway, the person inside could be in danger, so it’s rarely attempted.”
Seeing it in practice would make it clear, so I stopped elaborating. I ordered them to proceed with portal training and stepped outside.
A carriage stood before the building. Whether due to Marib’s urgent summons to bring me quickly, the servant guided me with visible restlessness.
“We’ll hurry, Minister.”
“Ian, Ian! Should I come with you?”
“No need. I’ll return shortly, so stay put.”
I gestured to stop Berik as he came running toward me. Marib would be seething from his defeat to Gail. I had no idea what trouble might befall us if I brought him along. The carriage couldn’t delay further and departed the Magic Department’s grounds. I drew the curtain shut.
Whoosh!
* * *
As sunset approached, Marib’s palace was bathed in deep crimson as always. Despite the gentle hues, the atmosphere felt cold and precarious. I noticed the servant guiding me was even holding his breath.
‘He must have had quite the outburst.’
Pitiful. Marib had likely believed today he could finally expel Gail from the palace. Yet Gail survived defiantly and even spoke of a “merchant guild” to him. I could well imagine his state of mind. And what kind of venting Marib had inflicted upon his servants.
A quiet announcement of my arrival rang out. Like an ant crawling.
“Prince Marib, Count Ian Hielo has arrived.”
“…Let him in.”
Creak.
As the door opened, Marib with his hair unbound turned to face me. Raw, stripped of all princely dignity.
The room’s state was even worse. Every glass ornament lay shattered, and servants prostrated themselves, bearing the brunt of their master’s fury. Their clothes were torn, their skin marked with bruises.
“Count Ian, please sit.”
“Your Highness, are you well?”
“Sit, sit.”
He smiled broadly and gestured to the sofa. Marib twisted his hair up into a knot and leaned back across from me. His eyes curved into slits, and though he was clearly smiling, no emotion reached them.
“At the conference, I made myself sound desperate.”
“No, Your Highness. I was equally surprised.”
“You can understand my position, can’t you? Gail’s schemes were transparent as glass, yet the Truthserum Potion I had such faith in failed to expose them.”
I straightened my posture and fixed my gaze forward. I had come to realize that no answer I gave now could satisfy his desires. Not now. Not at this moment.
“The potion itself was flawless, which I demonstrated by consuming it myself. Should you wish, I can procure a fresh batch and prove its efficacy again immediately.”
“Hahahaha! Haha!”
Marib burst into uncontrollable laughter. Though the sound rang out bright and clear, the servants prostrated before him trembled with fear.
“Count Ian. I trust you. The potion must be without fault. But didn’t Gail brazenly evade the effects of the Truthserum Potion?”
There was a logical flaw in his reasoning. While he claimed to trust me, his assertion that Gail had evaded the potion’s effects implied he believed I had intervened.
“I shall conduct a thorough investigation into that matter.”
“No need. Gail has already been acknowledged as cursed, and he evaded the Truthserum Potion. Why would I use a net with holes in it again?”
He was declaring he would no longer trust the Truthserum Potion. Yet my expression remained unchanged. It was time for him to slowly reveal what he truly wanted, and I intended to hear it.
“Therefore, I shall test your sincerity through other means.”
Your sincerity? Plural?
Ah. I nearly laughed inwardly at the recollection of the humiliation Marib had endured in the conference hall. He had summoned his subordinates to demonstrate trust in the Truthserum Potion, yet not a single one had stepped forward. It must have been quite embarrassing before Gail.
“I await your command.”
“Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic. You are the current head of the Department of Magic and have been appointed by His Imperial Majesty as the supreme director of this crisis resolution.”
“Indeed, Your Highness.”
“Then lift Gail’s curse within the shortest time possible. Whether it is genuine or false matters not.”
Marib did not believe in Gail’s curse. Thus, whether it was genuinely resolved held no interest for him. I felt the same, but from the way Marib spoke, I could discern what command would follow.
‘Ah. Now the blade is drawn.’
“The process of lifting a curse is exceedingly dangerous and complex. If Gail were to die as a result of that process, who would mourn him?”
“Your Highness Marib.”
“I would regret it, perhaps. But if the one who has shackled the very existence of Bariel were to perish, surely all would find peace.”
Kill Gail.
By any means necessary, announce the curse lifted while simultaneously disposing of Gail. Do this, and I shall not doubt your loyalty regarding the Truthserum Potion.
This was what Marib was saying.
“Your Highness Marib. But what if the curse proves to be genuine? What of the consequences? Not only Bariel, but Your Highness himself would face complications.”
“No. Absolutely not. I do not believe it. Wesley dying in the throes of jealousy, placing such a curse? One that would even benefit Gail?”
Marib slowly bowed his head toward me. Then, grinding his teeth, he issued a warning. My faith was wavering, and it would be wise to grasp it firmly before it slipped away entirely.
“You would do well to handle the aftermath properly, Ian. What you hold in your hand is not necessarily yours. Who made you what you are?”
He seemed to believe he had made me. But he was clearly mistaken. Perhaps he would never know, even unto death.
This position was one I had forged myself.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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